Propagating Divine Goodness
Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to
explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly
Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This
morning we will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the idea of propagating divine goodness.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Propagating Divine Goodness
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
called according to his purpose." Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28.
Brothers and sisters, all things work together for good for those who love God. Those that do good
shall have their goodness multiplied according to their efforts. Those recipients of evil who respond
with good shall have their stores of goodness increased.
After Jesus left this world, the apostles were all in Jerusalem laboring to convince the Jews that Jesus
was indeed the Son of God. When persecution broke out, they were literally running for their lives.
But as they fled, they preached the gospel along the way, spreading the good news that man was a
son of God, that God was in fact man's heavenly Father, and that by believing in Jesus, man would
receive salvation and eternal life.
So we see that though the apostles had fallen on evil times, the good in them increased in spite of
the evil. And so it is with us who by faith have become the sons and daughters of the Father, thus
qualifying ourselves to be transmitters of goodness in any and all circumstances. The light of truth,
beauty, and goodness of the Father's love must shine. In fact, the more bleak the circumstances, the
brighter the light will shine since there is a greater contrast between light and darkness. And just as
Jesus was able to effectively reveal the Father's love and the Son's mercy against the background of
evil, so can we reveal the Father's love and his Son's mercy.
When the evils of time and the errors of space create a web of sorrow and disappointment, we can
display the truths of eternity and the goodness of infinity. When we are immersed in the waters of
hate and selfishness, we can swim the backstroke of unselfishness and the mighty stroke of love. We
must not make the mistake of fighting evil with its own weapons. We cannot win that way. We must
learn how to take the long distance point of view, the divine point of view. We must recognize that
it does take the passage of time to vanquish hate and selfishness. Only when the evildoers become
thoroughly convinced that the tools of hate and selfishness only bring a harvest of pain, sorrow, and
disappointment will they pursue divine love. And likewise will we pursue divine love when we
become convinced of the pleasure, happiness, and success of living and loving unselfishly. We will
never pursue divine love until we become thoroughly convinced of its power to overcome all evil
things, meanings, and values.
Brothers and sisters, the outworking of love requires time, and this really means exercising patience.
Exercising patience requires faith in the power of divine love and trust in the righteousness of the
Father's will. It means recognizing that the hoped for solution may not be the Father's will at all; the
Father's will may be changing our attitude towards the particular problem. The Father always deals
with the individual on an individual basis, and the Father's will is always perfection of the individual.
To keep this in mind will help us to overcome some paradoxes of prayer: We pray for another
individual to be changed, but the change occurs in us. Always does the Father use the background
of evil or potential evil to perfect us.
The struggle against evil by those who use goodness as a weapon can only increase our stores of
goodness. This happens regardless of what the other person may choose to do, for always does the
Father respect the free will of his free will children in choosing Him. They may choose Him or reject
Him. To choose the Father is to choose love. To reject the Father is to reject love, thus rejecting
eternal life.
Brothers and sisters, in issues concerning eternal life, patience must be exercised. No child of the
Father will ever be blotted out of existence as long as there is a chance that he may turn around and
choose the Father. Remember the Father is at work at changing the rebel also. Salvation is an
individual decision. But as each individual yields to the leading of the Father's spirit, there is a
proportional decrease in the evil in the world.
Finally in our attempts to increase goodness in the world, we must be guided by the spirit of his son,
Jesus, the Spirit of Truth. Otherwise we will commit error in our efforts. We must remember that
the Father's perfection is the goal that we all seek to reach. The Father calls us and urges us to reach
this goal of perfection, but we will never reach the Father and his righteousness unless we follow his
Son, Jesus, the Spirit of Truth.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of propagating divine goodness. We
hope you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. Until
next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
Propagating Divine Goodness
